Untamable
by peanutlvp
Summary: (New chapter posted) She was born a hunter. Unlike so many of the women of his race, she was called to hunt, to destroy. The women were to stay safe and protected, having so few women they couldn't risk losing them. Dylan, however, was a different story. Gavril was lethal. His heart long turned cold to this world and its cruel ways. Her beauty had a wild nature that captivated him.
1. Prologue

She was born a hunter. Unlike so many of the women of his race, she was called to hunt, to destroy. The women were to stay safe and protected, having so few women they couldn't risk losing them. Dylan, however, was a different story. Trained since she could walk to fight, it was all she knew. Dylan is the unknown daughter of Rhiannon and the great mage himself, living her life in secret from the world. Now she worked as an FBI profiler, a cover career to track any possible vampire movements or fractions and hunt them down.

Gavril was lethal. His heart long turned cold to this world and its cruel ways. One day, the ancient spotted her. Her beauty had a wild nature that enthralled him, captivated him. But when she assumed him a threat, she launched a dangerous attack nearly took his life, and ever since then he has been unable to find her. Now drawn into a metropolis by rumors of a growing gang of vampires, he won't let her slip through his fingers again.

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_Prologue_

_**DANGER. **_That's what the night was filled with. She could sense it in the air. All creatures had taken cover hours ago, fearing whatever presence was out there, whatever evil tainted the night. Dylan sensed it, the disgusting vibe strong to her. Whatever was nestled away in the center of the marshland was strong, and old. As she flew in the form of a powerful raptor she could see the taint of evil affecting the land. The marshland had once been a beautiful field, but now was a web of misery, evil, and danger. Whatever living creatures still remained would be no friend. Dylan was careful to keep her senses constantly searching for anything with mal-intent. In a place like this the deadling, as she liked to refer to vampires, no doubt had control over many of the creatures as well as the plant life. Dylan would be careful to take no chances, since she wasn't entirely sure what she was up against.

A wave of power surged through the area, and hit Dylan heard, like she had flown into a brick wall. A warning. Gathering her bearings, Dylan sent out one herself, in the form of a mental attack. The battle started from there, and consisted of the two trying to outdo each other, each warning stronger than it's previous. As the land appeared more and more rotten, Dylan realized she had found the deadling's layer. Circling above it, she searched for a weak spot, a place where she could force the evil being to face her outside by bringing it down on his head. She also searched for safeguards, immediately bringing down any that she found. Dylan had a knack for safeguards, and was fascinated by them. Safeguards were definitely her strong point, whether it was taking them down or throwing up impenetrable ones.

A strong attack from Dylan caused the den to shake, she would bring it down. Her mind worked quickly, entering the den to bring it down from the outside as she cast her shadow form into the den. Having a father who was mage gave her unique abilities, and her mother one of, if not the strongest Carpathians, only gave her an even bigger advantage. The den shook again, and this time there was a deep and gruff roar that shook out. The deadling knew he couldn't stay hidden much longer, and burst through the rough of the den in an eruption of marsh waters and swampy land.

Power. That's what Gavril felt. Strength reverberated through the air, and was matched with a threat so sinister and evil it gave him goose bumps. He traveled quickly in the form of an eagle. There was a fight about to take place, and he was going to provide back up to the presence that he sensed had Carpathian blood. _"Do not engage this creature of evil, he is most strong and fighting alone would not end well."_ He communicated with his kin telepathically, in the way of his people. In response, fear. No words, just a simple, short burst of emotion that was followed by a powerful mental attack that stunned him for half a second before he regained himself and returned to his flight_. "Please, brother, I mean you no harm, I only wish to aid your fight."_ Gavril increased the speed of his flight and tried to send his sight out ahead of him, a rare power that only few ancients were gifted with, but he could not see out far enough. _"GO!"_ It was a sharp warning, but the sharpness of the warning had not been what caught him off guard. No, the fact that the voice was female was what threw Gavril off and caused him to further quicken his flight. He attempted another communication with the female, but his a strong barrier.

As Gavril approached the battle site, he saw a beautifully orchestrated attack pattern play out in front of him. The female who attacked the dark and gruesome vampire was beautifully, dangerously so. Her shape was fit, and had nearly flawless curves. She stood about 5'4 with brownish-red luscious curls pulled back into a ponytail that fell to her lower-mid back. Her skin was a creamy white, but not an unhealthy pale, it had an interesting glow. Her facial features were sharp, her eyes a stunningly vibrant green. He knew her. She was his light, his color, his savoir, his _avio päläfertiil. _She was the only one who could tie him to this world, keep him from becoming the vampire or from having to greet the dawn. She was the one who brought color and emotion back into the world. He had finally found her, after all these years, and her greeting to him had been one of fear. This hurt Gavril deeply, a feeling he was not used to. He was overwhelmed suddenly, not sure how to cope with his new-found emotions. Fear hit him next, fear for her. She was fighting against the undead, something unheard of for his kind. She was risking her life, and that was something he had to stop. With new found courage, his eyes studied her attack form, as well as the vampire's.

As he assessed her, he was unaware of the malicious attack that struck him, an animal began to dig into him with its claws. Whatever the animal was seemed to be a creation of the vampire, a crossbreed between what seemed to be wolf and panther. Gavril tried to communicate with the creature to tell him he was not an enemy, but he was hit with a mental block; the same one from when he tried to communicate with the female. So she gained control over this retched beast. She is powerful, but why does she attack me? Before Gavril could investigate on his curiosity, he was hit with another attack, one to break his mental barriers. Gavril retaliated, fighting for the freedom of the creature's mind in a power struggle.

The stranger who approached the battle was no friend that Dylan was certain of. She needed to defeat the deadling, and _fast._ Dylan was strong, but not nearly strong enough to take on a full blood, ancient Carpathian as well as the rotting, old vampire that now stood in front of her. Hovering above the marshlands now in a human form, she assessed the monster that now stood before her. He was in rough shape, she could tell. He was old and his skin appeared as if it was starting to rot. His face was thin and Dylan could tell the creature hadn't eaten in days, if not weeks. He would be weak but she was careful not to under estimate the situation. "_Do not engage this creature of evil, he is most strong and fighting alone would not end well."_ The words had a deep and gruffy tone to them. So the Carpathian male had attempted to communicate with her. This was not a good sign. Fear struck her deep, and as soon as she realized that she had accidently sent that fear back in reply, she hit him with a strong mental attack, then began her attack on the deadling. Despite his weakened state, he moved fast, dodging her attack. A growl sounded behind her and before she knew it a creature of mixed species was upon her back, digging deep into her muscles with its longer than normal talons. Dylan threw her mental-self into the wild animal's mind and found chaos and evil taint. Hastily eradicating all the poison from the creatures mind, she gained control over it. _"Please, brother, I mean you no harm. I only wish to aid your fight."_ So he did not know she was a woman, this she could use to her advantage, distract him perhaps. The male was upon the two in a matter of a few more seconds, he traveled at great speed. Dylan could feel his eyes upon her, and didn't need to look at him to see the shock on his face. Sending the beast to attack the new intruder, Dylan plunged at the deadling, landing on top of him as she fired a shot deep into his head. She pulled out a knife as the deadling launched a counter attack, biting her shoulder and ripping away, causing heavy damage. Dylan plunged her knee into the monster's ribcage, knocking the wind out of him and freeing her. The damage to her shoulder was major, and she could feel the vampire's poison burning away at the wound; she would need to heal it, and soon. The vampire moved to attack again, throwing himself at her, Dylan reacted by launching the knife at the deadling, she hit it in the chest, right in the heart, her precision perfect. This didn't slow the evil thing, and there was yet another attack. He was on top of her now, clawing at her chest and arms. Pain shot through her, but before she could react he vampire was flying off her, the male Carpathian, free of the half breed's attacks, now advanced on was a howl from the deadling, and Dylan stood, beginning a chant as she focused on the blade of the knife that protruded from the deadling's chest. _"Heal yourself, now! Your wounds are most severe!"_ The voice broke through a small barrier she had lazily thrown up earlier.

"Damn it!" She cursed out loud, losing concentration on the knife. The vampire launched himself at her again, but hit a barrier erected by the male Carpathian. Dylan scowled at him, furious as the male tried to approach her. "I don't want your help! I had him and you distracted me." She was angry, hostile even. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but was interrupted by the vampire's attack. Dylan saw a way out, and slammed down a huge mental barrier while casting a spell to hide her presence as she fled the fight now raging between the Carpathian and the vampire, hoping never to see the crusade man again.

* * *

**So little author's note/explanation. In this story Dylan is the daughter of Rhiannon and Xavier, though no one knows about her. The reason for this will be explained in later chapters. Dylan is half mage half Carpathian with the best of both worlds, sort of. **

**Also, disclaimer here, I do not own the Carpathians or the Dark series characters or story in anyway.**

**Finally, feedback much appreciated. Reviews would be so wonderful! Thanks loves:)**


	2. Gangs

Chapter 2: Gangs

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Dylan Anders let out a loud, frustrated sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair, a classic Dylan tell. This time, the tell meant she was annoyed. Annoyed with herself and annoyed with that college kid who had sent her on a wild goose chase. Dylan spent a week tracking down a false lead, and was now at the same place she had started. It turned out the "lead" was just a good lie told by a broke college student in hopes to pay off some of his enormous college debt with the reward that was posted now for a "deranged serial killer". Dylan had been following this specific case for half a year, and now that the killer had moved to her city in the last two weeks, Dylan was all over the case. She worked much longer than usual days to try and get the case solved hastily, and the wear was starting to show on her exhausted body.

Standing up suddenly, the rolling chair flew out from underneath Dylan and she crossed her lovely corner office to look at her clear white board that was covered in tidbits of information. Dylan had worked for years in the FBI, earning a high up position as a criminal investigator and profiler. She took on the darkest cases searching for signs of vampire activity and eradicating the monstrosities from her beloved town. Now, the latest evil incarnate had arrived, and she was working hard to keep her street safe. So far there were five victims, and she was determined not to let there be a sixth. She just needed to work harder, be smarter, to find the damn thing's location.

Dylan's rumbling thoughts were interrupted when one of her team members threw her door open. Normally she would frown on such an invasion, but Dylan knew better and knew that they would only interrupt like this if something urgent had come up. "Lany, the docks! Something's going on down there! I think there's another victim!" That was all she needed to throw herself into action. Lany was a nickname given to her by her fellow team members. After speaking with the team, and using a bit of a mental _push_ with some of them, she convinced them to let her go alone. Dylan feared that there was more than one vampire, or her favorite phrase for them: _deadling._

The air was heavy tonight, tainted with an all too familiar scent of evil. Dylan recognized it anywhere. Increasing her speed, Dylan traveled in the form of a wild dog, wanting not to raise any suspicion she found the form much quicker than her "human" form. Dylan could not travel in the form of mist as so many could. Since her blood was not pure, she did not have as many abilities as the Carpathians did, so she was a little more limited in travel and sometimes took a bit longer than a full blood would be able to. This did not bother Dylan, however, since her mage abilities made her very strong and each battle she fought was unique.

Finally reaching the docks, Dylan shifted in the form of an eagle and perched on one of the higher up metal containers. Dylan listened for any movement, the sharp ears of the eagle hearing just the slightest, softest movement. A breeze gave the creatures away, and Dylan knew there were three deadlings in the area tonight. Masking her presence, Dylan took off from her perch, silently stalking them.

Gavril Travnikov soared through the air in the form of a small owl, his thoughts weighing on him heavily. Tonight, he had decided, would be his final night before he greeted the dawn. It had been over twenty years since he had last seen her, fifteen since he last sensed her presence. None of his brothers or any other of his kin could sense her either. No one had heard anything that gave him suspicion of her whereabouts. After searching for so many years, Gavril cursed himself for allowing her to escape him. Now, he had no other choice to assume she was dead. No other explanation made sense as to why a part of him felt as if it was dead. How she died, Gavril could not guess, but he was more than one hundred percent certain she was no longer apart of this world. His world was too bleak, too grey. Gavril was too far gone to last another night before the _beast_ claimed him. He could no longer resist that call of evil.

Rumors had spread to his ancient ears that spoke of a clan of great evil traveling tonight. Their plans unknown, Gavril knew he had a small window of time to eliminate the threat they posed to the human life. They were an ancient group of brothers who had turned simultaneously one night, and were never heard from again. They were powerful, even succeeding in killing two females of his kin. The sins of the evil brothers brought him here, to this night. As he drew nearer, his enhanced eyes saw a fight had already began, but who on this earth would dare to challenge the evil band of brothers? A flash of golden hair caught his attention, dragged his eyes to her. A young women sporting dark clothing fought hard, and immediately he felt a sense of familiarity followed by gleeful happiness wash over him. _It was her._ After all these years, it was her. She truly was alive. Relief rushed through Gavril, and he knew he was saved, as long as he saved her first.

Gavril made his presence known and watched her reaction, her golden brown head twisting, fear clear in her eyes as she mistook him for another attacker. Her reaction hurt him deeply and he threw himself into action. Gavril landed in between her and the assailants, trying to protect her from danger. He sent his sense out and tried to feel for any damage done to his _päläfertiil_. Gavril found a few broken bones and minor cuts, but the wound that worried him the most was the broken collarbone. _"You need medical aid."_ Gavril attempted to communicate with her, but frowned when he was slapped with a mental barrier. Taking a defensive crouch, he decided to worry about it later.

Dylan was in mid-action when she felt his presence, a sinister call to warn her things were going to get even rougher. The distraction gave the vampire the opening he needed, allowing him to land a strong punch at her chest. With a sickening snap, Dylan knew her collarbone had broken, and the air rushed out of her lungs. As she regained herself, a man appeared out of the sky and landed between her and her enemies. A command reached her, but she shut her mind defensively before she could hear it.

Behind him, Dylan leaped into action, catching him off guard she lunged at one of the vampires. Dylan plunged her dagger deep into the deadling's chest, releasing a powerful poison that would burn the abomination from the inside out, weakening any attacks. Turning, Dylan moved to attack another vampire but instead was leaped on by the vampire she had just attacked. Blood leaked onto her back, burning through her shirt and to her skin. With a yelp, she threw him off and returned her attention to the vampire.

As she fought with weakened vampire, the other man took on two at once, covering her back. Dark, threatening storm clouds had moved in, and Dylan summoned a lighten bolt to keep at the ready. She had learned in her couple hundred years of experience, the only way to truly defeat the vampire was to burn its heart. While Dylan could control fire, her control over it was weak and she couldn't summon it at will. Lightening was the easiest way to incinerate the heart, all she had to do was merely suggest its path and it would follow.

Dylan was on the deadling with a blur of speed. She punched into the deadling's chest, ignoring the claws that dug into her arms and chest, raking her skin. With a burning sensation she pulled the blackened heart out. The deadling now reached desperately for the heart, but she was able to keep him subdued with a simple foot to his chest. Tossing the heart away from her, Dylan called the lightening and incinerated the heart, silencing the vampire for good.

That was when she heard a pop sound, and before she knew it a bullet had lodged itself in Dylan's side. The pain that followed was stunning, enough to nearly knock her off her feet. One of the vampires' underlings had appeared from the shadows, and attempted to protect its' masters. The possessed man launched himself at her, and began ferociously punching and kicking her. Dylan shook him off and had no problem knocking him unconscious, but she now bled profusely from her side. Looking at the stranger Carpathian, Dylan took down the mental barrier she had constructed and communicated with him psychically. "_Average response time for any gun shot is 4-6 minutes. I can delay them, but our window of time has now closed. We must end this fight now." _The male simply nodded and Dylan took the form of a small owl, rising into the night's sky.

With Dylan high in the sky, fog began to roll into town from the bay, blanketing the town in a white veil. The fog was incredibly dense, but Dylan knew this would only slow them down by a few minutes. Now perched on a metal shipping container, Dyaln began chanting under her breath. Shadows flickered to life and formed four human beings, very life like. Nodding at the shadow people, Dylan finished the mage spell by giving them a nonverbal command. At once two shadows began to chase the other two down the streets, two seeming to having guns. After a while, another pop sounded to bring the attention of the police elsewhere so Dylan and the man could finish their fight with the vampires.

"_Heal yourself."_ It came almost as a command, but Dylan didn't resist for once. The injury to her hip was extensive, the underling having great aim. Dylan sloppily healed herself and threw herself right back into action. There were two deadlings and an unconscious underling left. Dylan launched herself at the deadling who seemed separated from the battle, as if he was orchestrating something sinister. In the bay, waves grew to an enormous size, and spray began to rain on the battle. Power was effecting the local area.

Sweat dripped down Gavril's brow and he noticed the blood that filled it. He too had suffered many painful blow, and was now riddled with major wounds. His right leg had been clawed down to the bone, chunks of skin hanging off. His right shoulder was covered in bite marks, to a point where some skin was missing in areas. The poison of the vampire rushed through is veins, attacking his blood cells and organs. Gavril had no time to push the toxins out as he launched himself into another attack. His opponent was also much weaker, and suffered from even worse wounds. The vampire attempted to shift into a reptile form and Gavril launched a psychic attack, causing the vampire to become stuck in between forms. Caught off guard, the vampire was slightly confused at being half vampire, half reptile. Gavril used this distraction to launch his final attack, and punched through his chest.

A strike of lightening followed by a burning smell signaled to Dylan that yet another vampire had been defeated. Sirens were heard not far off, and she knew she didn't have much longer. A release of energy told her that her spell was broken, and the cops were now rushing through the dense fog to their location. _"Finish, csitri, for we do not have much longer. Humans are approaching."_ As if she needed a reminder.

As a final strike of lightening finished off her enemy, Dylan turned and in a matter of seconds he was on her. Dylan moved to a defensive stance, but he grabbed her shoulders, and twisted her to analyze her healing job to her hip. "This will not do. There is still too much damage. This must be attended to." Dylan was caught off guard as he picked her up, stunning her slightly. "We do not have time to-"

"_Put me down this instant!"_ She yelled it both with her mind and with her voice. To his shock, Dylan hit him with a powerful psychic attack while simultaneously shifting into a small robin.

"_No, I will not let you go this time!" _The words echoed through her mind, confusing her. Before she knew it her mental barriers were taken down and she was forced out of her animal form. She fell into his arms again, staring confusedly at him. She didn't even know it was possible for that to be done. Dylan definitely needed to learn how that was done. _"You will not escape me again, _päläfertiil, I will not allow it. We do not have time to argue, the human cops will be upon on in a matter of seconds." And with that Gavril transformed them into water droplets, feeling the scene.

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**Cliffhanger, I know! Gotta love 'em. Well normally I don't but they are definitely fun to write!**

**Anyways so Dylan works in the human world. Since she is only part Carpathian she isn't as limited as they are, and able to work in most sunlight hours. If anyone needs more explanation or anything, send me a message. Please review, thanks!**


	3. Running

Four feet landed on the ground. Now in human form, Dylan let a rush of air out of her lungs as she realized she had been holding her breath. After putting up a long and very heated fight, Dylan convinced the man, whose name she learned was Gavril, that taking her to his home would be a very big mistake. Meeting her halfway, they landed in a clearing in the woods by her town.

Gavril set her down on a small boulder and kneeled next to her. He could feel her caution, her muscles clenched and ready for action if necessary. Gavril sighed, and looked her in the eyes. _"I will not hurt you, csitri, I will heal you now." _His dark eyes flittered down to her side and reached for her. He could feel the discomfit rising in her, and offered another explanation. _"I must examine the wound before I can caste myself into your body to heal it. I fear that toxins and possible infection may have entered your blood stream, but our time is running out and it will be much quicker this way, instead of examining your entire body." _Gavril moved her shirt out of the way, and heard her inhale sharply.

"_I can heal myself."_ Dylan tried to say this defensively, but it came out as more of a weak statement, a plea. Gavril ignored this. _"What does _csitri_ mean?" _Dylan asked, trying to distract herself. He had called her that name more than once now, and she didn't recognize it with any of the several languages she knew. Instead of answering her, Gavril shed his body and took on the form of light that he had so many times in the past. Working steadily, but thoroughly so to not miss any details.

During this awkward moment of healing, Dylan cast herself into her mind, looking over every detail of the fight, trying to decide whether he was friend or foe. The fact that he was forcing her to allow him to heal her seemed a red flag to her. He could be entering toxins or pathogens to her system that she would be unable to detect or working with the deadlings or maybe-

Dylan stopped herself, realizing her mind was panicking, something uncharacteristic of her. Opening her striking green eyes, she watched as the man worked on healing her. She did have to give him his props, he was _very_ attractive. His dark features, high cheek bones, full lips all pulled together his face perfectly. And then there was the muscles his body was covered in. Her mind dared her eyes to dip lower, to see how else he was crafted, but she stopped herself. Again, these thoughts were not like her.

A deep cough caught her attention, and she looked back up at his handsome face. Had she not been so great at keeping herself composed her cheeks would have flushed a scarlet red, giving herself away even more. A small smile threatened at his lips, but he dare not let it show. "You are all healed, _päläfertiil." _He spoke aloud, but allowed his words to brush over her.

"I know many languages, but the one you are using is foreign to me. I must change this. What language are you using?" Her eyes filled with curiosity, and she watched him as he pulled her to her feet.

"I am Carpathian, I speak the language of my people. You do not know it?" Dylan shook her head, and this puzzled him. She was Carpathian, surely she had to know it. Before he spoke she cut him off. Sirens were heard in the distance mutely, and they were sucked back into reality. In their haste, they had left evidence of the battle. Gavril reprimanded himself, making a note to pay better attention.

Dylan turned in a fluid movement, shifting into the small form of a fast moving hummingbird. Gavril followed without thought, taking form of a strong eagle as the two silently raced off to the scene of the fight.

* * *

The two hunters fell from the sky, shifting into human form with ease. Critical eyes scanned the scene as they analyzed the work they had to do to create a "normal" crime scene. In a matter of just a few minutes the bloody scene turned into a small crime scene with the human male simply unconscious. The vampire presence now completely irradicated from his mind, he spelt peacefully. Dylan would play the whole thing off as merely a startled reaction, and with the right "pressure" the cops would believe her and write the gun shots off as nonthreatening and not a worry.

"You need to leave." Dylan turned to face the Carpathian, who half stood, half crouched over where a vampire's body once sat. He stood up all the way, frowning and opening his mouth to stay something. Dylan cut him off. "If they see you, questions will be asked. You need to leave, now."

In a heartbeat, the distance between the two gone. He moved with tremendous speed, catching her off guard. "I will be going nowhere, _minan._ There is no need for me to leave." Dylan took a step back, then two.

"Stop calling me names I don't know." Dylan didn't like it, it definitely made her uncomfortable. Right now she was completely out of her comfort zone, and things never ended well when she was uncomfortable. Dylan needed to have everything under control. She _needed _control. This stranger made her uncomfortable, on edge. "You _need _to leave. _Now."_ Her voice growled it out, throwing in a small compulsion at the end.

In a heartbeat the small gap between the two was covered, and his hands wrested on her upper arm. "I will be going nowhere, _csitri. _You have escaped me once, you will not again." A wall of fear washed over her as a memory surfaced. A memory of a simple deadling tack gone wrong. She still had the scares to prove it. Being only half Carpathian, Dylan didn't heal as well. She moved in a flash of movement, catching him off guard. His feet were swept out from under him, and before he could change forms she was on him, one of her knives to his throat. A small murmur and she cast a spell to prevent him from temporarily shifting, giving her a small window.

"You will go. Now. You will _not _come back. You will stay far away from me." She was off him, and hastily fleeing the scene, no longer caring what the cops stumbled on. Dylan was capable of dealing with it later.

* * *

Dylan collapsed on her bed, exhausted. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head. It had been one hell of a night. Dylan knew better. Carpathians were hunters, and by nature excellent trackers. She had flown in the form of a small barn owl for several hours, throwing him off until he needed to rest. The sun had risen and Dylan knew she was safe, for now. There was no doubt he would be tracking her when the sun was up, but Dylan had that covered as well. All she simply had to do was accept one of the cases across the country and stay low for a while.

With an exhausted sigh, she stripped her clothes and stepped into a warm shower, temporarily soothing her aching muscles. Dylan admired the work the Carpathian did on her side. There was no evidence of the injury, not even a small scar. Dressing herself in proper work attire, she moved through her small apartment to the kitchen. Dylan only had a few hours before work, and knew it wasn't even worth trying to get sleep. Had she not spent several hours trying to throw off _the Carpathian_ she would finally have gotten some very needed rest.

* * *

After brewing some strong coffee, enjoying a well-cooked breakfast, then making a second batch of coffee for the road, Dylan found herself at work. Exhaustion slammed into her as she set her things at her desk. The long nights were certainly getting to her, especially after the night before. She began to click away at her computer, filling out reports had become a mindless activety for her, and her thoughts drifted to the Carpathian, _Gavril_. The name struck fear in her, but also woke something else in her, something she didn't understand. Dylan had been warned. The Carpathians were a species to stay away from, along with the mages, the jaguars…. Everyone. She had learned she couldn't trust anyone. Each species was corrupt and full of betrayal, willing to throw you to the dogs without hesitation.

"Lany. Conference room. _Now."_ Her thoughts were interrupted as one of her team members threw her door open in haste. An escape, she knew that was what this offered. Dylan had requested an assignment away from home, and with a bit of a _push_ she knew she had an assignment that would take a while, and ensure her safety from the very species that betrayed her mother.

After a detailed briefing on a serial arsonist who supposedly teamed up with an amateur bomber who they assumed was his apprentice, the team was dismissed to pack up and rest up for their flight leaving at 9:05 on the dot.

The team settled in on the small jet, knowing they were in for a long flight. The destination was Seattle, and traveling from North Carolina. Dylan threw a glance out the window, uneasy now that the sun was nearly set. She closed her eyes as the engines roared, not allowing herself to relax until she felt the plane level off. Maybe it was childish, to run away from such a threat, but the fear that struck Dylan deep inside had her running like a scared child.

With the familiar drop of her stomach, Dylan opened her eyes and allowed herself to breath once more. They were on their way to Seattle, and she would be far from _that man. _It wasn't long before she allowed herself to finally succumb to some much needed sleep.

* * *

His eyes snapped open as the sun finally sank down. Curse that woman for fleeing him. For leading him on a wild goose chase. Couldn't she see what they were to each other? He had seen the fear on her face a second time, and perhaps she misunderstood what was happening to her. Gavril had heard on more than one occasion that discovering each other as a lifemate could be fearful to the female, but the fear on her face was something else.

Gavril sent his senses out to search for any threat, and immediately he knew something was wrong. He felt… Empty. As if part of him was missing. Fear hit him hard. Not being used to emotions, he nearly cried out. He had thought her dead for so long now, surely she couldn't have died during his rest? Had she gotten herself into trouble once more? Gavril had a feeling trouble was something she was familiar with. Sending out his senses again, Gavril realized he wasn't completely empty, but half of him seemed far away. She fled. Again.

Cursing telepathically, and out loud, Gavril emerged from his earthen bed, transforming into the powerful form of the hawk as he did so. As he flew to track her, he thought one thing. _She won't be getting away from me this time._

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**A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Things have been super crazy with my Grandpa in the hospital and an unexpected camping trip! So Dylan works for in the human world as a criminal profiler. Pretty much thing criminal minds, she works for the FBI all that blah blah. **

**Please review, it helps so much, thanks. **


	4. Lady's Man

The team boarded the plane as the sun was setting, shades of violet painting the sky. By the time they took off, the sun had already set. The team got straight into things, wasting no time going over the details.

"In each kidnapping, there is no sign of struggle. Each woman went willingly with him to their demise. He clearly knows what he's doing, or else there would have been at least a little fight."

"He's a lady's man. He seduces them, brings them back to his place and then they aren't seen alive ever again. After he has his way with them, he kills them in brutal ways, it's his release. The victims have no connection other than age; all in their mid-twenties. Blondes, brunettes, dark skin or fair, with him it doesn't matter. He abducts them then brings them back to their homes to murder them. He gets off by killing them; nothing else could please him more." The team didn't go too far with the discussion, as they also had a meeting time carved out to go over the rest of the details.

The conversation was a dark one, and was short. The team was all too exhausted to go over the details any further, and they all dozed off to get as much rest as possible. The long plane ride relaxed Dylan's chaotic nerves, allowing he to get some much needed rest and to breath normally again. She didn't get much rest before they had to discuss the pressing issue. A shadow haunted Seattle, and Dylan's job was to find and eradicate it, not relax. Her job was a stressful one, and constantly kept her on her feet.

* * *

The team dropped off their bags and set up shop in one of the larger hotel rooms after collecting the files on their latest target. He seemed a nasty one, killing his victims in the most savage and inhumane ways. While Dylan worked to create a profile on him, she also worked to determine whether the serial killer was an inhuman enemy and required her inhuman side to deal with the threat.

The briefing seemed to last for a few long hours, the file on this latest sick-o so long she wasn't sure there was even an end to it. Dylan could tell that the morning rays weren't far from peeking over the horizon when they finally called it quits for the night. Washing her face with cold water, she took a good, long look at herself. Dark bags gave away her pure exhaustion, and worry lines on her forehead and cheeks were beginning to become permanent. A job like Dylan's was an extremely high stress job. She had seen a lot of 'early retirements' because they couldn't handle the stress. When constantly looking into a dark world, it was hard not to leave scarred. But luckily for Dylan, she was born in a dark world, so she was a little more resilient.

After letting the hot shower ease her tired and jet lagged muscles, Dylan slid into the sheets of her bed in silk pajamas, allowing the comfort of the materials lull her into a near sleep state. Unfortunately for her, her mind whirled with thoughts and theories of her latest case, and it took her nearly an hour and a half to fall asleep.

After finally catching up to her in that small hanger, he observed her silently in the form of a small barn owl. She entered the private jet with a small team of mostly men and two females. The idea of her surrounded by men practically drove him nuts. Allowing the wave of anger mixed with jealously to pass, he changed into the form of a small insect and landed on the plane.

* * *

The flight was longer than he expected, but he had been lucky enough to find a way inside the jet in the form of a small fly, which allowed him to listen in on any conversations on the jet with ease. There was a very dark conversation about their target, but it gave him a little more insight to her world. As she dozed, he fully took her in. She was beautiful, stunning. She had amazing facial features, thick and ruby red lips, luscious flowing hair golden hair. All of her stunning features, however, seemed shadowed. Her face was thin and full of lines, eyes bagged, and the rest of her body far too thin. This worried him. She should be taking care of herself, and clearly she had neglected to do so. What could cause her to allow herself to get into such bad shape?

Gavril analyzed the rest of her team, which consisted of four males and two females. The males all seemed well built, as if they could hold their own if needed to, and it was clear to him they all trained regularly. The females were both plain to him, nothing stood out among them except one thing that stood out among all of the team. They all were thin. Each person showed signs of major stress, and a constant stress at that. Gavril was careful to note this, and perhaps he would find an answer into why his lifemate was in such terrible shape.

Once the plane finally landed, Gavril followed her to her next location, which proved to be a very nice hotel. This time, he was a lot more careful to completely cloak his presence. She was scared of him, for some reason, and he needed to be a lot more careful with his approach. Dylan, he learned her name while on the jet, had already fled from him twice, and he was not about to let it happen again.

Gavril listened into the human's meeting that seemed to go on for hours. He now understood why they each looked so sickly; with such a taxing job it would be hard not to. Gavril knew that very well. He too hunted, though not in the same way they did. The monsters he hunted for so many a century were just as sick as the humans they did, if not sicker at times. The hunt left a big stain on his soul, and his heart had long turned black and hardened to the world. But this pain was for the men, not for his woman to experience, and now she was suffering because of it.

His observation of Dylan and the team was cut short as a familiar warning crept across his skin. The sun would be rising soon, and he needed to go to ground. He at least had the reassurance that she would sleep through most of the day. To be safe, Gavril added a few safeguards to the ones she had so cleverly woven.

* * *

The blaring alarm clock startled Dylan from her sleep, jerking her awake. She groaned before even opening her eyes. Her body ached everywhere from exhaustion. Dylan knew exactly what time it was; 4:30. She had half an hour to pull herself together before the team would meet and go to the latest crime scene, which was only a few days old now. Dylan also planned on visiting the morgue where her body was. She needed to see it up close, not just in the pictures.

The crime scene proved to be as brutal as described and pictured. Blood soaked the walls, and furniture was broken and thrown all across the room. It was clear the girl put up a fight, which was unusual for the victims. Dylan slowly walked through each room in the house, carefully examining each and every object in the room. Everything was always there for a reason, and she wanted to know the reason behind everything there. Each victim was kidnapped from their home, missing for one week before they turned up brutally murdered in their home. Each victim was female, in their mid-twenties and single, living on their own. This all sent up a red flag to Dylan, but the fact that the victims lived a week without being torn apart also confused her.

After fully examining everything possible, the team split up. Some of the team went to other crime scenes, others questioned any friends or relatives to the victims while Dylan went to the morgue. She made sure she was the one to see the body in person, and no one else. The body was ripped apart savagely, covered in deep scratches all over. Her throat was also ripped to shreds, which sent another red flag to her. There were a few major signs of a vampire attack, yet some of it wasn't adding up completely. Those deadlings couldn't handle being in the presence of a human being for more than a few hours without destroying them, let alone a whole week.

* * *

Sitting in a local coffee shop and needing the help of a strong coffee, Dylan wondered over the words the man she had fled spoke. Having never been raised in the Carpathian world, Dylan learned about her abilities by experience and a few lessons from her mother before she died while finishing off a deadling that nearly killed Dylan. Rhiannon had been very careful to keep her separate from the dark world in efforts to protect her, so Dylan knew nothing about their secret language. She knew about her abilities as a Carpathian and as a Mage, but nothing about her heritage or culture, growing up in her own little world. Hearing the names he called her though, was mesmerizing. The language sounded beautiful and exotic to her, and she would have loved to learn more if he hadn't frightened her _so_ much.

"You've been staring at your plate for half an hour now. Come on Lany, what's up? Don't tell me this sick-o's got to you." Lany was the nickname Dylan had earned from her team. She looked up, pulled from her jumbling thoughts, and shook her head.

"Just trying to make sense of everything. He definitely is a twisted one." Dylan was good at hiding the truth from her team. She wouldn't call it lying, just hiding things from them.

"Come on, this one's a classic. Watched too many vampire movies as a kid and now he's mimicking them."

Dylan frowned, not sure it was that simple this time. "I don't know. It feels like we're missing something here, doesn't it?" Her partner, Nick, looked down and began picking food off her plate as she wasn't eating anything tonight. He didn't say anything, deep in thought as to what they were missing. Dylan didn't understand the timeline they had put together; somehow it was missing something.

The door to the restaurant dinged and Dylan looked up, opening her mouth to say something to Nick. Before she could get the words out, however, she was cut off by a familiar voice.

"You can leave us now." The smooth voice came from behind Dylan, and her heart skipped a beat, fear threatening to sink in.

* * *

**A/N: So they still haven't gotten much time to get to know each other, and that's definitely something that will take a while with Dylan's lifestyle. To clear up why she doesn't know the Carpathian language (since it was brought to my attention over something mentioned in the last chapter) Dylan was never raised in the Carpathian world. She lived in almost a limbo, raising herself mostly. Her mother kept her shut off from her cultures since she felt it safer for her to be hidden in that way. So naturally she only knows the things she learned from her mother's few teachings or the things she has taught herself over the centuries. A language only spoken by the Carpathians isn't something she would know.**

**Thanks for the reviews, they help so much so please review because that's where I get my motivation.**

**As always, love.**


	5. Conversation

Dylan knew that voice anywhere; she could pick it out of a loud crowd in a bar or on the streets. _His_ voice. She knew it like he was an old friend they just happened to bump into at the little café. Nick began to stand and Dylan's hand flew out, landing on his arm as she sent a reassuring look to him that it was alright to stay, that he was _needed _here. And he was, Dylan couldn't be alone with this frightening mountain of a man.

"You must go. I must speak with her, a_lone._" Once more Gavril sent a strong compulsion, but Dylan's eyes were glued to Nick's, and she prevented the compulsion from even hitting him. They stared as the two battled for control over Nick. Well Dylan wouldn't call it control, actually she fought for his freedom from Gavril's control.

"_Go_" Gavril put a hand on Nick's shoulder, gaining control now. Nick stood and Dylan stood quickly, trying to keep him from Gavril's grasp.

"Nick, don't." Her eyes now showed fear, she was frantic to keep him with her.

"You will take your hands off this man, _sívamet_, or I will not be responsible for whatever happens to him." Gavril's voice spoke coldly, and Dylan looked up at him, fear shining bright in her eyes.

"You will do nothing to this man. _You will leave us now, and never find me again._" Dylan tried to hit him with a strong compulsion, but it merely washed over his strong barrier. She saw the hurt in his eyes briefly chased by laughter.

"_You will not fear me, sívamet, I will not harm you. I am no enemy, my only purpose to see to your happiness and destroy the enemy of my kind. Compulsion will get you nowhere, dear one."_ He spoke to her in the way of his people, and watched with confusion as she flinched as if she had been struck.

Dylan hastily slid her hand in Nick's, and urged him forward. She built a strong barrier in both of their minds, that way they would be safe from the ancient's control. "Nick we should be-"

In a blur of motion, Gavril separated the two and spun Dylan into his arms, turning the full power of his glare onto Nick. He smashed though the simple barrier she hastily placed in his mind, and quickly took control of the situation. _"You will allow us to leave now. Dylan is tired and she needs her rest which is not to be interrupted."_ Gavril spoke both out loud and telepathically as the man stepped aside to allow them passage.

As the two of them exited the little café, Gavril scooped Dylan up, transforming them into mist to travel quickly. He knew very well her fear of him, and to help ease some of that pointless fear he would keep to his word. He would take her back to her room, but not to rest. The two of them had much talking to do, and he needed to make sure they would be uninterrupted.

* * *

Turning back into a solid form, Gavril set her down on her feet. Immediately he felt her small hands thump at his chest. "Get _away _from me!" Her voice was shrill, desperate. Gavril dropped his arms surrounding her with a frown, and watched as she paced her way across the room. The two of them were standing in the living room of her quaint suite. There was an open doorway which lead to the bedroom and bathroom. The living room was furnished with two lavish couches and a plushy armchair. There was another doorway that lead off to a small kitchen. All the living arrangements were temporary, and Gavril did not envy her for always having to travel from place to place.

"Your fear for me is unnecessary, little one, I will not harm you." Gavril's voice was smooth as he spoke the truth. He watched her reaction carefully, trying to make sense of her unexplainable fear of him. Her head snapped when he spoke, and she watched him with wide eyes for a minute before speaking.

"You are lying. Your kind is cruel, evil and deceitful. You harm everything you pass, leaving destruction and death in your wake." Gavril reacted as if he had been struck, feeling her words deep in his sole.

Shaking his head, he took a step forward but stopped when she put equal space between them. "You know I speak the truth, _päläfertiil. _I do not harm those who are good. My fight is with the creatures of evil, the _vampires_, not the innocent."

"You have hurt many who do not deserve it, slaughtered blindly. I have seen much pain caused by your species desperate need for survival." Dylan's hands were shaking, actually shaking, so she held her hands behind her back, desperately trying to keep her calm.

"Look into my memories, join with me. You will see this is not true. You will see we are good, not evil. That we hunt the evil, and that we are protectors of the innocent." Gavril held his hand out, urging her to take it. Instead, she took another step backwards, now bumping into one of the doorways of her suite. "_Do not fear me, csitri, I mean no harm. You hear the truth in my words. Please._" The way he said please made her heart skip. It was desperation mixed with softness, and it encouraged her to take two small steps forward. Dylan watched him closely, studying his face for answers.

The space between them disappeared and Dylan found herself close enough to him that she could take in his intoxicating scent. No longer able to keep eye contact, Dylan watched his hand. His hand was so strong, and next to him, her's looked so small and fragile. Dylan wasn't a small woman, by any means. She trained regularly and kept in great shape for the battles she frequently fought. Somehow he managed to tower over her, and make her look like a small and sweet woman. "_Take it, I will not hurt you. Let me _show _you." _Reluctantly, Dylan slipped her small hand in his, and was immediately hit with memories.

Each memory was different, starting off from when he was young, the told a story of his youth. They showed the evil he fought so often, just like her. Dylan felt the constant battle he raged, both against the evil of the vampire and the evil of the beast in his sole. She saw the evil he fought against deep inside, the one that threatened to turn him every waking second. Then, Dylan saw something that frightened her even more. She saw the way he saw her, the way she brought color and emotion back to his world. She saw what happened after she fled their first meeting; how the vampire brought him to his knees and almost destroyed him because he couldn't control his emotions. She felt the pain so deep from those wounds, and from losing her when he had just found her. There was fear too, for many decades he held out against it and the raging beast inside him. For many decades he thought she was dead, and that his search for her was in vain. Then, a ray of hope finally shed on him. The very night he had planned to end his painful existence, _she_ came into his life again.

As the memories of the rush of emotions hit her like a brick wall, she jerked back and stumbled a few steps away. She looked up at him, trembling and with tears in her eyes. She could see the pain in his face which was quickly chased with worry then written blank. He made no move to comfort her, knowing she wouldn't want his contact.

Dylan turned, whipping her eyes. "I-" She took a shaky breath in, not sure what to say. Who could she tell him that he was wrong? That she wasn't, couldn't, save him? The nightmares he'd lived through, she'd seen them all. He opened himself completely to her, and now she was just going to shoot him down. But Dylan herself had lived through too many nightmares to be anyone's light. Her existence was doomed. Doomed to always live in the darkness, always make the tough choice. All the lives she saved on a regular basis, she had to live in that dark world.

"I'm not who you think I am. I'm sorry. I can't save you. I'm just as doomed as you." She looked up at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. She didn't know him at all, but at the same time she did. And for some weird, unexplainable reason, she wanted to save him.

Gavril crossed the distance between them, gently grabbing her arms just above her elbows. "You are not so damaged. You have seen many horrors, I can see it plainly on your face, but you are not broken. We will be each other's lights. We will heal each other." He tugged her into a hug, holding her tenderly to try and calm her. Seeing tears in her eyes made his heart skip, and not in a good way.

They stood like that, holding onto each other, for quite a while. Gavril comforted Dylan' wild and racing thoughts and Dylan carefully composed herself, not allowing herself to cry in front of him. Dylan _never_ cried, and if she ever did, it was alone. No one had ever seen her cry.

Their small bonding moment was interrupted by Dylan's phone, which sounded like it was practically screaming in the silence of the room. Breaking apart the hug, Dylan crossed the room to see the caller. _"Ignore it, _csitri_, what we must discuss is of greater importance." _

Dylan picked up her phone and saw that her team member Jessica was calling. After two rings the called dropped, a red flag for Dylan. She looked up at Gavril with a frown as she redialed the number. After calling twice, the call going to voicemail each time, Dylan crossed the room. "That's not normal. She _always _answers. We have to. It's our job." Their job was too important not to answer calls. Dylan called Nick next, to see if he had heard from her. When he said no, that sent another little red flag. Nick promised to call the other team members and Dylan tried calling her back again.

* * *

Nearly ten minutes passed and no one had heard a word from Jessica. Dylan sat on her bed while Gavril searched the city in the form of a hawk. She knew how unlikely it would be for him to spot her in a city this large. If Jessica wasn't answering, something was wrong. Dylan strummed her fingers as her laptop slowly booted up. Each team member had their phone on them 24/7, so Dylan would try to use a tracking program to find her. Jessica needed them, and now.

It felt like forever before she was finally able to pull a trace on her cell phone. It showed her somewhere just out of the city limits, and the signal was faint. Dylan let Gavril know the location as she rushed out of the room. Nick and Samuel, another team member, waited for her in the lobby, and hurried her into their stereotypical black S.U.V outside the hotel. Marilee, who also happened to be Jessica's best friend, sat behind the wheel. Dylan took shot gun while the two men sat in the back seat.

Marilee drove like an insane woman through the streets as the sirens screamed for cars to move out of their way. No one spoke a word, all on edge as they weaved in and out of traffic. Looking up in a mirror, Dylan frowned and turned in her seat. "We're being followed. The gray creeper van." She was surprised anyone would be able to keep up with Marilee's insane driving.

It was late at night, so the streets were mostly empty of cars, and any that were still out heeded the warning of their siren. _"Gavril, have you found her?"_ She sent a silent prayer for good news after calling out.

"_There is evil here. It reeks in the air, and nature itself is dying off from it. Do not come."_ His warning was followed by a thick brick wall, shutting off all communications between them. Dylan swore under her breath, now more on edge than ever. Her team was well trained for attack, but for _human_ attack.

Throwing a glance behind her, she noticed the van was still hot on their trail, despite Marilee's expertise evading tactics. "Damn it." She cursed loudly this time. As she turned to face forward again, she noticed the headlights shining on them from the right. Before she could look, she heard a set of tires screech followed by the sound of metal scraping on metal. Someone had t-boned them. The S.U.V flipped twice, going over the guard rail of the freeway and falling onto the highway below them with the passenger side up. Dylan's vision filled with red, black fading in on the sides. As she began to lose consciousness, she saw a gnarly hand with long claws reach for her.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to get the next chapter up. I had a really hard time writing it plus I'm in the middle of transitioning into a new job while still working my current full time job. It's my first supervisor job so it's been a little stressful. Plus trying apartment hunting has made everything crazy. **

**This chapter is mostly dialect between Gavril and Dylan, they really needed to talk finally. Next chapter will be really interesting, promise! Love! And please review guys, it helps so much!**

**~Thanks!**


	6. Note

Hey guys! Just a little note here about my absence. I'm working on the next chapter and just have it up by mid-next week. Sorry it's taking so long! In the process training at my new job, in the middle of a pretty awesome relationship as well as dealing with all my mother's medical stuff (brain tumor, diverticulitis and some freaky skin disease) plus trying to find a new place this kind of got put on the back burner. Didn't help that my computer quit so now I'm writing half of this on my tabletDx But I am planning on finishing this story, and hoping to post chapters regularly again!

xLove!


	7. Battle

It happened so fast Dylan wasn't even able to comprehend what happened, something very abnormal for her. Losing communication with Gavril sent her emotional state nearly tumbling down a cliff. She had been edgy and could barely sit still, stress peeking for her. When she heard the squeal of the tires, that's when time seemed to change. The crunch happened so fast, before she knew it the S.U.V was tumbling. The S.U.V rolled twice before dropping that long distance to the highway.

Dylan couldn't move, her seatbelt nearly strangling her as it held her in place. She weakly struggled against the airbag for a few seconds before she saw the hand reaching for her. She knew she should fight against it. Dylan knew bad things would happen if it grabbed her, but now red was mixing into her fading vision, and before she knew it the blackness on the edge of her vision became all she knew.

There was death here, the air reeked with it. Gavril stayed in the form of mist as he moved through the house which was in shambles. The human must have tracked down one of their layers, and stumbled into her own doom. There was blood everywhere, which lead Gavril to assume he hadn't made it in time and that she certainly was dead. As he traveled through the house, Gavril felt a familiar alarm go off, something that told him something wasn't right.

Gavril's form shimmered into vision in front of the cellar's door. He stood outside now, knowing where that evil tainting the air was coming from. The doors were no doubt heavily safeguarded, but being an ancient so powerful it only took him a few mere moments to smash through them. As he descended into the cellar, it seemed almost as if he floated down the stairs.

The chamber was large and even had a few sub-chambers. The blood streaking the walls was fresher down here. It almost looked as if a human had literally _blown _up. A shiver rolled down his spine, something he was not familiar with. He needed to learn quickly to contain these emotions Dylan had woken in him.

He moved through the chambers quietly and slowly, analyzing every detail. That's when he felt the throb of power. It hit him hard, nearly knocking him to his knees. Gavril punched through the door behind him in a whirl of fury and power. Before him stood two large vampires, hunched over a woman's body. Their head's snapped up as he charged through the room, catching them off guard. In one fluid movement he snapped the neck of the smaller vampires. His moment of surprise was over, though, as the other vampire leaped over the body and launched himself on top of Gavril. The vampire got one large cut in before Gavril shifted, sending the vampire off balance and tumbling forward.

Turning back into solid form behind the vampire, Gavril punched through his back and grabbed a hold of the blackened heart, ripping it through his body. Tossing the heart to the side, Gavril moved through the room with blurring speed, ripping the leg of the cold table where Jessica's body lay, and used the leg to light on fire and incinerate the evil heart.

Gavril turned his attention back to the vampire with the broken neck, who was now crossing the room to attack. This one was slow, and now significantly weakened. Gavril was on him quickly, tossing him easily across the room. He was on him within seconds, ripping his heart out as the vampire racked his talons arm. Using the leg once again, Gavril quickly incinerated the black organ. The vampires were weak, clearly underlings who had gotten a lucky kill. Gavril lifted Jessica's body off the table and nearly floated off out of the cellar. As soon as he took to the skies, he sought out his mental link with Dylan. When he was met with silence and darkness, his heart leapt. _"Dylan!"_ He screamed it mentally, hoping to wake her from whatever was wrong with her. Again, no response. Fear struck him hard, and he dropped Jessica's body off at Dylan's hotel room.

Gavril searched the streets via the sky for fifteen minutes before he found the wreckage. His heart sunk and the fear began to manifest into something stronger; panic. He dropped from the sky, keeping his body hidden from the humans now swarming the scene, investigating as well. There were bodies, but her's was not among them. One body, one of her friends, was being lifted into an ambulance as he clung for life. The S.U.V was destroyed, and it was clear by the damage that it was no accident. Someone had hit them head on, causing them to tumble over the edge of the bridged freeway.

As Gavril examined the wreckage, he caught her trail. It was weak and fading, but it was there. Gavril desperately followed the link as he took to the sky in his mist form, screaming through the air at an incredibly fast pace.

"_Don't… Stay… Trap!"_ It was faint, but he heard her words loud and clear. Despite everything, despite the fact that he could clearly hear she was _dying_, she tried to protect him. Gavril's stomach wretched in an unfamiliar way as he streaked even faster through the skies. His worry also grew stronger. She was not human, both halves of her were so strong, the accident shouldn't have hurt her this much. _Something was wrong._ Gavril traveled at an even faster pace until he realized he was being led out of the city. Into the wilderness. To a vampire layer.

As he grew closer to the looming trap, he was able to reconnect with Dylan, to his relief. _"You can't… They know… you are coming…"_

"_What is happening, describe it to me."_ He had to keep her talking, force her to stay alive.

"_If you come... they will… win… It's what they-" _Dylan cut out and Gavril felt a tinge of panic. Gavril followed the link back to her, forcing his way in. Pain erupted in his stomach and he almost lost his concentration and shifted forms in the sky. They were _torturing_ her to find him. _"It's what they want. Please…"_

"_I will find you."_ He said it as a promise as he raced through the maze of trees and nearly into a small shack. It was rotten, and falling apart, barely enough room for someone to live, but she was there, he could feel it.

Gavril burst open the front door of the cottage with barely any effort, the door itself was nearly falling off the hinges to begin with. It took him less than a second to realize there was no one in the cottage. They had tricked him. It was impossible, but they did. Rage swept through him and the small furniture flew across the room. He turned, looking for something, _anything _to go off of. Anything to find a lead. That was when he noticed it. Everything about the room was off. Gavril circled again, his eyes now focused on the floor. The floor wasn't real. In a blur of motion, Gavril used his wait to destroy the floor, and he fell through it.

"_No… Go… Flee…" _Her communications were so much weaker now, and growing weaker with each second. He scanned the tunnel he now stood in. It was dark, damp and moldy. The air itself felt toxic, poisonous and evil. Gavril needed to move quickly, he was running out of time.

The tunnel was simple enough, a few doors leading to other rooms here and there but he knew exactly where she was. He'd be able to find her anywhere, she'd never leave him again. The door to her room blew off its hinges and immediately his senses were assaulted with the most foul smell. Panic struck him once again, and he did his best to ignore it. Now was when he needed his level head the most.

Before he could even enter the room, he was being attacked. The vampire was animalistic, rabid and gone. The kill was easy, just a snap of the neck to stun him and Gavril punched his way through his heart in a fluid movement, pulling the black and twisted organ from his chest.

Gavril burst through the empty doorway, his eyes quickly taking in the room. A table stood in the middle of a small, bare room where Dylan lay helplessly. Her eyes were half open, skin as pale as a sheet, and tubes ran out of her arms, at her head stood two tall and menacing vampires. It took him only a small second, but he recognized one of them as a child hood friend, Derek Irinov. His face and body, once so powerful and strong, were now rotting, showing he had given into the darkness some time ago.

"Irinov-"

"'Bout time you showed up. Look at this, ain't it great! Thanks to a little human tech we are able to put down one of our greatest challenges yet. Look at her, pathetic!" Rage shook Gavril's body, and without a second more he launched his attack. He moved with great speed, attacking Irinov's man, but not Irinov himself. As he orchestrated his attack, he was careful to knock out some of the tubes in Dylan's body.

"_Quick… The master is luring you into a trap… His creature below."_ Gavril heard Dylan's warning louder and much clearer this time, she was gaining her strength back quickly. Gavril dodged another blow from Irinov's man, but focused his attention on the ground below. Something certainly did not feel right, and from the fact that Irinov had been completely absent from the battle so far, Gavril knew his window was closing quickly.

Turning his attention back to Irinov, Gavril used his weapon of choice, his fire whip to distract him. His attack fell short, however, as his slave threw himself in front of the attack. There was a loud cry and the abomination shifted into a halfling form. He had the scaly tail and snout of an alligator with the body of a bear, an ugly combination. Gavril hurled his attack, throwing everything he had at the creature.

Another loud cry caught Gavril and the beast's attention, it came from Irinov. Dylan half stood, half slumped against the table, Irinov now lay on the other side of the room, bleeding from his side profusely. Gavril's opponent now lunged at Dylan, who was too slow to dodge the attack. Gavril threw himself at the beast, causing him to miss completely killing her, but from her small scream he could tell the beast got in a good blow.

"_Stop this! You are too weak, you must rest!" _Desperation hung in Gavril's voice as he kept up with his opponent and worried over Dylan.

"_His creature… It's coming!" _It was her only warning, and he knew he didn't have a choice now. The floor rolled, nearly causing him to lose balance. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dylan stumble to the floor as Irinov stood once more. Gavril knew his window had closed, and he fought more desperately, landing several crippling blows which forced the creature in front of him to shift back into his vampire form. Punching through his chest, Gavril ripped his heart free and used his whip to incinerate the blackened organ. Now he could focus his attention on Irinov.

As the floor rolled once again, this time even stronger, Gavril took to the air in the form of a strong hawk, diving at his prey's outstretched hands and taking one off.

"No!" The yell was horse and very angry. Irinov's efforts had successfully been stopped, his enemy distracted from summoning his spawn from hell. A force hit Gavril, nearly knocking him off balance, and in a second Irinov was upon him, claws scratching like mad.

"I will turn you, in front of your _bitch_. I will make her see her hero get ripped from her and get sucked into the darkness. I will make her suffer the pain of losing you. You will wish you had never been born!" Irinov raved, showing all signs that he was completely and utterly gone. Teeth snapped at Gavril's neck, but before he could attack blood poured onto him from Irinov's chest. Irinov choked in confusion, looking down at himself. A gross sucking sound told Gavril that Irinov's heart had been ripped from his chest.

Irinov turned, eyes red with rage, but before he could attack, Gavril threw him out of the way, ripped the pumping heart from Dylan's hands, and incinerated it in a flash of heat and fire. Before him, Dylan was on her knees, her wounds deep, skin pale, and hair a wild, blood coated disaster. Gavril's heart skipped a beat and he rushed forward, pulling her into his arms. "Come on, let's go home."

**A/N: Alright guys, I finally posted the next chapter. Sorry about the wait!Dx Anyway hopefully it won't take as long with the next chapter. I struggled a bit with this one too. Thank for all the reviews it's great to hear the feedback! Soon Dylan and Gavril will be able to build their relationship together, so look forward to that!**

**~LoveXO!**


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